At one time, a mere 10 months ago or so, America had an intelligent, articulate, thoughtful and decent man in the White House.

Now we have a white supremacist buffoon. Lord, what have we done? When you contrast the viewpoints of Barack Obama and Donald Trump regarding Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players’ refusal to stand for the national anthem as a protest against police brutality, the reality hits home like a brick.

Trump’s recent pardon of racist asshole Joe Arpaio crossed a line for me, in terms of how I look at the fact that there are Latinos who inexplicably continue to support him. Up to this point, Trump’s racism, xenophobia and general-assholery has been obvious to anyone without blinders on, but I could always see how self-hating, ignorant Latinos could find a way to look around all of that and think “Trump’s my guy.”

When I think of what goes through the mind of Latinos who are pro-Trump, I think about, of course, the familiar escape mechanisms. When Trump called Mexican immigrants “rapists,” he was talking about illegals, don’t you know? If you’re an American citizen, he’s not targeting you. When he degrades disabled people, women or Muslims – well, if you’re not one of those people, and completely lack empathy and decency, I can see how you wouldn’t care. I can understand how some conservative Latinos might think that when Trump says “Make America Great Again,” he’s talking about an America that fully includes them. Which isn’t true, but I get how a person can be deluded into thinking so.

But, unless a person is completely ignorant of what exactly landed former Sheriff Joe Arpaio in violation of the law, I don’t understand how certain Latinos can not only silently accept the brazen racism-acceptance of Trump’s pardon, let alone continue to wear their dumbass MAGA hats and vocally support it.

The list of egregious human rights violations and affronts to decency that Arpaio committed is a long one, but for most of them, if you weren’t an inmate in one of his jails or an illegal immigrant, I can see how you might not particularly care. After all, Arpaio was only being a monumental dick to incarcerated criminals or people who weren’t American citizens, right? I guess in some people’s fucked up mindsets, those people deserve to be treated as shittily as possible, so who cares?

But Arpaio was also guilty of targeting and detaining people who were merely “suspected” of being in the country illegally. If you’re Latino, THAT POTENTIALLY MEANS YOU, ASSHOLE. I suppose if you have features that allow you to pass for a Caucasian, which many Latinos do, you might not think it’s you. But ultimately – yes, it still is. Because as much as you might not want to think so – at the end of the day, after all of the darker people have been harassed – they will come for you next, once they realize that you are of Latin heritage. You will never, ever fully “fit in” with the racist, conservative white people you want so badly to be. As much as you might hope, you’re not one of them. You are only fooling yourself into thinking so.

Of course, you could simply be a glutton for punishment, and actually enjoy being treated like a second-class citizen. In which case, hey good luck. But if not, ask yourself, what the hell happened to you in the course of your life, that made you such a self-hating sellout who wants so badly to be accepted, that you would continue to support racist assholes like Trump and Arpaio? One thing that the age of Trump has really exposed is the degree to which people can delude themselves – into thinking they aren’t racist, for example. But it also includes people who fool themselves into thinking that Trump really gives half a shit about them, which couldn’t be further from the truth. This is no better exemplified than by Latinos who think Trump and his supporters view them as equals.

The terror attack in Charlottesville last Saturday, in which Heather Heyer was killed while protesting against racism, and Trump’s subsequent blaming of “many sides” and apparent sympathizing with white supremacists, has spurred a spirited back-and-forth about the topic of racism in America. And, you know what that means. Lotta bullshit making the rounds on social media.

One thing I see being said whenever a topic like this is brought up, often by racism deniers, is that there are racists in minority groups as well as among white people. The point being that it sort of “cancels out” the racism of Neo-Nazis and other assorted tiki-torch wielding assholes, since minorities can hate too. As a rebuttal to that flawed argument (which I will get to in a moment,) there are also some people who say things like “black people can’t be racist.” Which, while I understand what they mean when those people say that, I disagree with. At least in a literal sense of the word, in a hypothetical, neutral universe (and not the current American reality in which we live.)

The sad truth about racism is that yes, anyone can be racist. Anyone can be a bigot. Anyone can view and treat others differently (often worse) based on their skin color. As a Latino, some of the most racist stuff I have heard has been said by Latinos about other races, including about other Latinos. I remember when I worked as a waiter, talking to one of my co-workers and hearing her refer to “wetties,” and thinking that it was kind of weird to hear a Latino disparaging other Latinos in such a manner. That kind of self-hate helps to explain the fact that there are some minorities who embrace and defend racists like Trump. That fact is often pointed to by Trump apologists as a means of demonstrating “see, he’s not racist, minorities like him too.” But that’s bullshit too.

However, while everybody can be racist, it carries much more weight when white people do it. And that is due to the fact that our society is still dominated by a white patriarchy. We often have the illusion of diversity, on television and in the corporate world, but at the core, America has a long way to go when it comes to different races being represented equally and having comparable influence. For example, you can look at professional sports. The NFL and NBA in particular are dominated by players of color. But the situation is much different when it comes to the makeup of the mega-wealthy owners. Same with corporate America. Yes, the workforce might be made up of seemingly diverse assortment of races, religions, genders and sexual orientations. But take a look at the profile of the upper levels of management and CEO’s. Different story there. Progress is being made, but we’re not there yet.

When white people are racist, it potentially resonates with a far greater number of people, including people in power or of influence, who can set policy that affects millions of lives. Keep in mind, this is not simply a “white people thing” in the abstract sense. It’s simply because numerically, America is still dominated by whites. When black people or other minorities are racist towards white people, it might be repugnant and offensive, but the difference is, they’re “punching up,” not down. And that’s the key distinction. The ironic thing is, white supremacists like the ones in Charlottesville often indirectly make this argument. Because one of their fears and grievances is that they’re becoming outnumbered. As if that’s somehow a bad thing (it is.) The truth is, they know that they are privileged and they’re pissed off because they see minorities making gains, and see it as a threat to their dominance.

Racism is an ugly thing, and people often don’t like to talk about it. But I think it’s critical that we not only talk about it, but do so with honesty and without fear of saying stuff that makes people uncomfortable. So yes, in the abstract, anyone can be racist. But in the actual American society we live in, not all racism is of equal weight. Far from it, in fact.

One of the things that really chaps my hide is how brazen the Trump White House has been with their lying straight to the face of the American people. The administration has absolutely no credibility on anything at this point. And what’s more disturbing is the sheer number of Trump cultists that are willing to go along with the lies with nary a second thought.

It struck me a few weeks ago when White House liar Sarah Huckabee-Sanders claimed that Trump had never encouraged violence. My bullshit meters went off the charts, so I decided to compile times when Trump has blatantly promoted and encouraged violence, either against protesters or his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, along with the White House press conference in which it is emphatically denied. Enjoy.

So I was thinking about the recent shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise and the reaction from the media thus far, and I gotta say – it’s time for some race-baiting.

A country can reveal it’s racism and racial bias in many ways. Not just in the obvious ways, such as the existence or prevalence of neo-Nazis or Klansmen, etc. But also in the collective reaction of its media and the talking points that are generated after a violent incident, depending on the race of the shooter.

I have noticed a stark contrast in the conversation which happens, depending on whether the shooter is white or black, Latino or Muslim. In general, if the perpetrator of a violent crime is a minority, the perceived threat that they and their actions pose become something external, to be kept at bay or controlled with more policing or security measures. If he’s a Muslim, it’s terrorism – and it brings up the issue of immigrant vetting, not to mention discussion (criticism) of Islam. If he’s a black person, the issue which makes the media rounds, in particular on state media like Fox News, becomes about “broken homes” and “thugs.” A Mexican guy would bring up a similar conversation about immigrants and gangs.

Which brings me to the Scalise shooter, a white man named James Hodgkinson. The discussion thus far, and the issue of what to blame for the violence, has been concerning “political rhetoric,” as well as possible mental illness. Conservative outlets like Fox have even had the nerve to try to blame “the political Left,” but other mainstream media sources have also raised the question – is our lack of civil discourse to blame? Is the issue one of the mentally ill having access to firearms? Are prescription medications making us crazy? The problem becomes one that reflects an internal societal dysfunction, rather than an externalized threat. The blame shifts from the shooter himself to a more generalized “have we become too hostile” or “is something making us violent” scenario.

It brings to mind the differences in approach between drug epidemics, depending on the communities that are affected. The recent problems with opiate addiction and overdose deaths from prescription painkillers are viewed and talked about in terms of a health “crisis.” Which is not to say that it isn’t. But look at the difference between that and the way the crack epidemic of the 80’s and 90’s and other drug problems that plague inner cities (black people) are talked about and handled. In the case of opiates, the issue is seen as one of public health, whereas with the latter, it is a dangerous scourge, and for years has been dealt with by harsh criminal penalties.

One of the problems with talking about race and racism is that far too often, the very idea of it becomes a sort of taboo that is linked with overt and obvious perpetrators. Nobody wants to be considered racist, and what frequently comes to mind when racism is mentioned are extreme examples, such as the aforementioned Neo-Nazis or white supremacists. What we often forget is that racism and racial bias can be more subtle and nuanced, and reflected in not only the beliefs and words of racist people themselves, but also in our general, more indirect characterizations of people’s words and actions and how they fit into our view of the way society should function. Any honest discussion or race should include the latter. We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about this issue, and we need to be aware of how media can and often does shape our thinking and perceptions.

I think one of the most distressing aspects of Trump’s disastrous time in the White House has been the deafening silence on the part of the Republican party. By and large, up to this point there have been very few vocal opponents of Trump and the seemingly daily shit storm that he has unleashed upon America. The recent bombshell that he revealed highly classified information to Russia in the White House will probably be the next news story that Republicans find a way to dismiss or overlook, despite the fact that it is just one of many disasters to come out of this administration since November 8.

Sure, we’ve heard some criticisms from individuals like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, but on the whole, their words have been pretty weak and they have never been followed up with any concrete action. Their favorite words lately seem to be “troubling” or “concerning,” when we really should be hearing things like “impeachment” (and should have been long ago.)

The question that I and many others keep wondering is – when are Republicans going to put country before party and begin the process of impeachment or at least increasing pressure on Trump? The best way I have read it expressed is along the lines of – they will take action when they know it will cost them chances for re-election. Which brings me to something I have been thinking for a while – that they either don’t believe the polls that reflect plummeting approval ratings for Trump and the strong reactions we have seen at town halls across the country regarding issues like the AHCA and the Trump/Russia investigation, or they simply think they will be able to win in 2018 regardless. We have seen how the proposed Republican health care bill to replace Obamacare has enraged millions of Americans, including conservative voters at town halls. In addition, according to a recent poll, an overwhelming majority of Americans want a special prosecutor/commission to investigate Trump/Russia. Why do Republicans seem content to just conduct business-as-usual in the face of these things?

I know there have been a lot of observations lately about how this whole Trump/Russia scandal has many on the left becoming conspiracy theorists, but I think a lot of it is actually justified. When I look at last year’s election of Trump and couple it with the smugness and lack of concern I have seen from GOP’ers in Washington thus far, things just don’t add up.

What we have been told up to this point about Russia’s meddling in our election is that they hacked voter registration information, put out disinformation to hurt Clinton and used bots on social media to help shape public opinion in favor of Trump. But we are told that they didn’t actually hack or manipulate vote numbers.

Which I find somewhat hard to believe. We have seen and heard from our intelligence officials about how extensive and well-funded Russia’s operation was, and as it has been noted, it obviously was a success and they are continuing to interfere with our democracy. Is it really that hard to believe that they could have directly affected voting outcomes in the states that Trump surprisingly won? Were basically all of the polls really so massively wrong, or was there possibly something else at play? When I look at the big picture, I would lean towards the latter. Obviously, I don’t have proof or solid information to make that claim, but it’s just something that I have a gut feeling about. There have been some red flags raised about voting irregularities in swing states by internet sleuths on Twitter, but by and large they have been ignored by mainstream media. But, applying Occam’s Razor to the overall situation, when I think of which scenario is more likely – that almost all of the polls and pundits got it horribly wrong, and that Russia took all of these interference actions but for some reason stopped short of affecting votes cast, and that a minority of American voters really did grant an election win to a pussy-grabbing, disabled-mocking, POW-disrespecting billionaire – OR – that Russia did tamper with votes, and that Republicans in Washington know it, and have felt emboldened by it, along with the GOP’s other well-known voter suppression tactics that we know had an effect on some swing states?

Of course, this is all speculation on my part. And even if there was any vote tampering, we may never know. However, continued silence on Trump from Republicans, in the face of everything we have seen and continue to see daily, is a “tell” in my opinion. It has been documented that the GOP base is slowly eroding, and they have had to resort to election tactics such as gerrymandering and voter suppression in order to win elections. In my view, it isn’t that far of a stretch to imagine that our recent presidential election might have been directly tampered with by Russia, and that the Republican party is either complicit or willing to accept the favorable outcome and now expects similar results in 2018.

So, our favorite moron and two-time failed presidential candidate Mike Huckabee tweeted this out today, May 5, which also happens to be Cinco De Mayo if you speak Mexican. As of 10:37 a.m. pacific standard time, the tweet is still up, and is from his verified account.

I guess it’s another one of Huckabee’s lame attempts at humor, or a way to boldly proclaim “hey I’m a racist fucking asshole!” without using expletives.

Either way, it just goes to show how emboldened the racist fucks in the GOP have become under Trump’s reign. They are apparently giddy at not having to disguise their bigotry in the slightest, because, well look at what a racist asshole the president is.

By the way, if you want to see Megyn Kelly almost call this fucknozzle “Mike Fuckabee” on live television, go here.

So…Dr. Ben Carson, our new HUD Secretary, was making a speech recently, when he brought up the notion of the American Dream. While doing so, he further exemplified the fact that you should never confuse education with intelligence.

Carson’s statement caused such a stir, that he even got a response from Gene Wilder on the subject. Okay, maybe I am just making this part up.

Admittedly, I have probably watched way too many movies over the course of my life, especially my earlier years. Many of them, over and over to the point where I had scenes, shots and lines memorized verbatim.

Whenever I have a moment of realization, the scene in Pulp Fiction where Bruce Willis’ character (Butch Coolidge) meets John Travolta (as Vincent Vega) in a bar always comes to mind. His expression is perfect, and it’s a great panning shot that really emphasizes a sense of realization for the character.

So I always think of this shot when it occurs to me how deeply complicit the Republican party is with Trump, his fascism, and the many possible connections he has with Russia, and all that they may entail. Whether or not Trump bears any consequences for colluding with Russia depends more on how many people help him, how many do nothing, and how many let him slide, than on whether he actually is guilty of something or not, in my opinion. There is way too much smoke there, for the situation to be free of wrongdoing.

The most recent example that points to a GOP cover up is the vote on Tuesday of the House Judiciary Committee to keep information on Trump’s possible ties to Russia, as well as potential ethics violations, a secret. Every chance they get, Republicans continue to place party before country, even when the implications of the Trump presidency involving Russia are massive.